Winds of change for local air service?

McCOOK, Neb. -- Commercial air service at McCook Ben Nelson Regional Airport remains a fraction of what it once was and city leaders are set to take another hard look at options.

McCook's contracted essential air service provider, Great Lakes Aviation, is fulfilling less than 35 percent of its contracted flights according to data provided to city staff. The City Council will review the situation Monday evening during its regularly scheduled meeting and provide city staff with a formal direction on whether or not to begin procedures to rescind the contract with Great Lakes.

Great Lakes is approximately a year into a two-year contract to provide 624 flights annually. Of the 624 contracted flights only 244 have been scheduled over the past 12 months, and of those, 41 have been cancelled. The cancellations and unscheduled flights left 203 actual flights flown through McCook, according to Great Lakes reports, a failure rate of 67.5 percent.

City staff and the Airport Advisory Commission are recommending the city review the contract and consider issuing an initial letter outlining the breach to Great Lakes, according to Monday's meeting agenda.

Other items on Monday's consent and regular agenda:

* Mayor Mike Gonzales' appointments to the Economic Development Plan Citizens Advisory Review Committee will be considered for ratification. Mayor Gonzales is recommending appointing Bill Burton and Gary Wiemers as new appointments with terms expiring in July 2017; Danielle Johnson to replace Dennis Berry with a term expiring in July of 2016; and reappointments of Troy Bruntz and Jerda Garey-Vickers with terms expiring July of 2018.

* St. Patrick Catholic Church has requested to close West Fourth Street from F Street to G Street and East G Street from East Third Street to East Fourth Street on Sept. 20, 2015. The closing and related use of city property is requested from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. for an Annual Fall Festival.

* A special liquor license application from the Fraternal Order of Eagles for an outdoor beer garden and dance on Aug. 22, 2015, will be considered. The activity will take place from 5-11 p.m. in the Eagles parking lot.

* City Council will consider amending city ordinance to allow for quarterly Senior Citizens Advisory Board meetings, reduced down from its current monthly meeting schedule. Suspending the three reading rule to approve the item on its second reading will also be considered.

* Two executive sessions may be coordinated for strategy sessions pertaining to collective bargaining agreements with the city police and fire department unions.